Food and culture in Tanzania

Last updated 15.08.2026

What to eat

• Ugali. A stiff maize staple eaten with the hands alongside stewed meat, beans or greens. It is the everyday meal across most of the country.
• Nyama choma. Grilled meat, usually goat or beef, eaten slowly and socially.
• Swahili coastal cooking. Coconut, tamarind, cardamom, cloves and chilli, with seafood. Quite different from the mainland and worth planning for.
• Chapati and mandazi. Flatbread and a lightly spiced fried dough, both excellent at breakfast.
• Chai. Tea with milk, often spiced, drunk throughout the day.
• Fruit. Mango, passion fruit, pineapple and small sweet bananas, most of it grown nearby.

Around Stone Town

Zanzibar is where the food is most distinctive. Spice tours explain why: cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and black pepper shaped the island’s history and still grow there. A Swahili cooking class is one of the better half-days available anywhere in the country.

Cultural visits, done properly

Maasai, Chagga, Hadzabe and Datoga communities all receive visitors in the north. A good visit is arranged with the community, pays them directly, and involves conversation rather than performance. A poor one turns people into an exhibit.

If a cultural visit matters to you, say so when you enquire and we will arrange one that is worth both sides’ time.

A few courtesies

• Greetings matter. Jambo and karibu go a long way, and asante even further.
• Ask before photographing people. It is normal to be asked, and normal to be refused.
• Cover shoulders and knees in Stone Town and in villages, particularly on the coast.
• Tipping is customary for guides and camp staff. We suggest sensible amounts with your final documents so you are not guessing.